Tag Archives: Robert Meza

Democratic lawmakers are coalescing in opposition to Gov. Doug Ducey’s state land trust plan, a potentially troubling development for a governor who may need votes from the minority party to pass one of his top priorities for the 2016 legislative session.

Sen. Robert Meza was one of several activists who said Friday that Rep.-elect Jay Lawrence’s proposal to add the words “non citizen” to Dreamers’ driver’s licenses was comparable to Nazi Germany’s efforts to require Jews to wear yellow badges and armbands.

It may be hours before polls close and votes are counted in Arizona’s 2014 primary elections, but for a handful of candidates, today is just a formality. Five senators and two representatives are running unopposed in both the primary and the November general election, ensuring their place at the Capitol. And election is all but assured for many more candidates who are running on one-party-dominant districts.

Democratic Sen. Ed Ableser of Tempe regained his title of most absentee lawmaker this year, showing up for only 62 percent of Senate floor sessions, though he voted on 70 percent of all the bills put before the chamber.

The award for best legislative batting average for the session — the calculation of bills introduced versus bills signed into law — goes to Rep. David Livingston, a freshman Republican lawmaker from Peoria who has been vocally critical of the governor.

The legislative process at the Arizona Capitol has slowed to a crawl in recent weeks after Gov. Jan Brewer warned lawmakers to focus on her own legislative priorities, first and foremost Medicaid expansion.

A west Phoenix Democratic activist has filed a campaign finance complaint with the Secretary of State’s office, claiming Democratic Sen. Robert Meza appears to have used campaign money for personal use and collected illegal campaign contributions.